We've taken such pleasure in attacking Mitt Romney here at The Redel Traub Report that we might as well tip our collective hat to him after his wins in Michigan and Arizona. In Michigan, the Romney campaign faced its Waterloo. Romney overcame his inability to act like a human being, and managed a 4 point win his home state. Romeny's victory isn't exactly a "quality win" as they say in College Basketball parlance. It came in a state he won easily in 2008, though he increased his share of the vote slightly, his margin of victory was much smaller. Romney received a good amount of his votes in early voting, before Santorums surge. Romney was always expected to win his home state until a poll showed him down big last week. That poll may well have been the best thing that happened to the Romney campaign all election, it drastically changed expectations. Expectations, of course, are the name of the game in the primary, campaign spin machines can turn wins into losses and vice versa in the strange alchemy of politics.
But Mitt can hang his hat on the fact that he received 70,000 more votes in Michigan than he did in 08 and 30,000 more than in Arizona. Arizona had a slightly smaller turn out in 08, but Michigan was a good bit larger. These results buck the trend of lesser turnouts this time around. It remains to be seen if Mitt can get the party to coalesce around him. Apparently he has been asking his donors for more money in recent days, because he expects a long fight. Mitt's small donor base is smaller than Santorum's, but he can always cut himself a big check whenever he wants, and he has many friends in the fabled 1%.
Mitt got a boost last night, but the outlook for Super Tuesday isn't great. I'll have a more thorough breakdown of the various races in coming days, but suffice it to say a lot of the states have potential advantages for the other candidates.
The speeches last night gave a fairly good illustration of political game theory. Gingrich and Paul, non-entities in last nights races, gave their speeches before the polls even closed in either state. Neither mentioned the races and instead gave standard campaign speeches. Santorum went onstage seconds after calling Mitt, but before the Networks had projected a Romney win. Santorum began his speech by stressing the fact that he has had many strong women in his life, clearly to counteract the prevailing opinion that his ideas about contraception and abortion make him a raging misogynist. At one point I'm pretty sure that Santorum pledged to end all federal entitlements. I was unaware that Santorum was running on a platform of ending Social Security and Medicare, but apparently he is. Romney's speech was classic Romney, he said a whole lot without saying anything. He regurgitated platitudes, phrasing them slightly differently. I'm pretty sure he said every possible combination of the words: restoring, Americas, promise. The frozen faced Romney barely emotes, and his speaking style, bland optimism, is hard to engage with. Republicans blast Obama for only talking about hope and change in his 08 run, but at least he did it excitingly. Romney offers the same vague message in a way that could lull an insomniac to sleep.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Down and Out in Michigan and Arizona
Rick Santorum couldn't get out of his own way last week. As has been the case with the non-Romney du jour, he has not stood up well to increased scrutiny. He had a weak appearance in the debate, hammered from both sides by Romney and Ron Paul. In his defense of earmarks, which was actually one of his most cogent moments during the debate, he seemed to confirm that he was a Washington insider and a political hack. Similarly, when he defended his vote for No Child Left Behind as him being a 'team player', an argument that should carry a lot of water, he weakened himself in the eyes of the Tea Party. Then Drudge exposed that he claimed the Devil was coming after America, further cementing his image as a religious fanatic. To top off a miserable week, he claimed on Sunday that the separation of church and state made him physically ill. Santorum is a hot mess, he seems simply unable to walk back his extreme views. But maybe that's what makes him popular, in contrast to Romney he seems like he has character, and he's not scared to state his opinions regardless of how popular they are.
It seemed Mitt Romney had put away Santorum, and was on the road to finally wrapping up the nomination. After trailing in a poll of Michigan at the start of last week, he came back and seemed to be headed to a comfortable win. Now polls show it to be a dead heat, and it promises to be a long night in Michigan as the votes are totaled. Again, this is a testament to Romney's fundamental weakness. The fact that he has not been able to seal the deal in such a weak Republican field, despite having every institutional advantage, is a condemnation of his abilities as a candidate. Santorum is a weak candidate, a big government conservative, who is essentially unelectable. But Romney can't put him away. Santorum's lucky that he got hot at the right time, like an overachieving sports team, but he wouldn't be able to have sustained success if the Romney campaign wasn't decaying.
His latest gaffe is his declaration that his wife drives "a couple of Cadillacs." At some point you've got to start feeling bad for Mitt. It's hard to watch him parade himself in front of the American people, saying one off key thing after another. It's hard to watch him try and be a retail politician when he seems unable to carry on a conversation like a normal human. It seems he isn't well versed on the normal etiquette of human interaction. The George Bush and Karl Rove axis had a strategy where they tried to turn their weaknesses into strengths by beating them into the ground. For instance, George Bush's disgraceful AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, was neutralized by the Swiftboating of John Kerry. Maybe Romney is trying a similar strategy, but he's not nearly as politically skilled as George Bush. Bush was an idiot, but he was relatable. Romney may well be a smart man, but he's got no social skills, and is unable to articulate his intelligence. And so a political non-entity like Santorum, who's attractive to a relative pittance of the electorate is able to appear as an attractive alternative. Romney must thank the angel Moroni every night that no credible candidate, such as Mike Huckabee, wanted to join the race.
So we wait for Michigan and Arizona tonight. Michigan is one of Romney's home states, a place he carried in 2008. But it's also the home of the Automotive sector, which Romney opined should be left to go bankrupt. It's also a state with an open primary, and it seems some Democrats are willing to cross the aisle and vote for Santorum. Whether theses are "Reagan Democrats" or folks who are trying to further the chaos of the Republican primary is a little unclear, but either way it should boost Santorum. The media narrative is that a Santorum win would be disastrous to Romney, and surely the lamestream media would play it that way. I remain unconvinced that the Republican establishment would allow a Santorum candidacy, which would prove unelectable and damaging to down ticket races. If Santorum wins, I think we can expect yet another Gingrich resurgence, he came off strangely likable in the last debate.
Romney seems poised for a big win in Arizona, but it won't staunch the bleeding if he loses in Michigan. Romney argues that he doesn't get the support of the right wing because "I'm not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am what I am." This would be a cogent argument if Romney actually had moderate positions, but he doesn't. He embraces the hard right. A better analogy might be that he does set his hair on fire, but the hard right doesn't seem to think he's doing it right, or maybe they believe he's bought an expensive, life-like wig, and he's set that on fire. It should be an exciting night, and an exciting couple of weeks, as the process moves on to Super Tuesday.
It seemed Mitt Romney had put away Santorum, and was on the road to finally wrapping up the nomination. After trailing in a poll of Michigan at the start of last week, he came back and seemed to be headed to a comfortable win. Now polls show it to be a dead heat, and it promises to be a long night in Michigan as the votes are totaled. Again, this is a testament to Romney's fundamental weakness. The fact that he has not been able to seal the deal in such a weak Republican field, despite having every institutional advantage, is a condemnation of his abilities as a candidate. Santorum is a weak candidate, a big government conservative, who is essentially unelectable. But Romney can't put him away. Santorum's lucky that he got hot at the right time, like an overachieving sports team, but he wouldn't be able to have sustained success if the Romney campaign wasn't decaying.
His latest gaffe is his declaration that his wife drives "a couple of Cadillacs." At some point you've got to start feeling bad for Mitt. It's hard to watch him parade himself in front of the American people, saying one off key thing after another. It's hard to watch him try and be a retail politician when he seems unable to carry on a conversation like a normal human. It seems he isn't well versed on the normal etiquette of human interaction. The George Bush and Karl Rove axis had a strategy where they tried to turn their weaknesses into strengths by beating them into the ground. For instance, George Bush's disgraceful AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, was neutralized by the Swiftboating of John Kerry. Maybe Romney is trying a similar strategy, but he's not nearly as politically skilled as George Bush. Bush was an idiot, but he was relatable. Romney may well be a smart man, but he's got no social skills, and is unable to articulate his intelligence. And so a political non-entity like Santorum, who's attractive to a relative pittance of the electorate is able to appear as an attractive alternative. Romney must thank the angel Moroni every night that no credible candidate, such as Mike Huckabee, wanted to join the race.
So we wait for Michigan and Arizona tonight. Michigan is one of Romney's home states, a place he carried in 2008. But it's also the home of the Automotive sector, which Romney opined should be left to go bankrupt. It's also a state with an open primary, and it seems some Democrats are willing to cross the aisle and vote for Santorum. Whether theses are "Reagan Democrats" or folks who are trying to further the chaos of the Republican primary is a little unclear, but either way it should boost Santorum. The media narrative is that a Santorum win would be disastrous to Romney, and surely the lamestream media would play it that way. I remain unconvinced that the Republican establishment would allow a Santorum candidacy, which would prove unelectable and damaging to down ticket races. If Santorum wins, I think we can expect yet another Gingrich resurgence, he came off strangely likable in the last debate.
Romney seems poised for a big win in Arizona, but it won't staunch the bleeding if he loses in Michigan. Romney argues that he doesn't get the support of the right wing because "I'm not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am what I am." This would be a cogent argument if Romney actually had moderate positions, but he doesn't. He embraces the hard right. A better analogy might be that he does set his hair on fire, but the hard right doesn't seem to think he's doing it right, or maybe they believe he's bought an expensive, life-like wig, and he's set that on fire. It should be an exciting night, and an exciting couple of weeks, as the process moves on to Super Tuesday.
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Oscars Isn't Boring; You're Boring. Actually It Is.
In case any of my readers emerged from a coma this morning, the Oscars were last night. The Artist, a movie I literally could not have less interest in seeing, had a big night, taking home awards for Best Picture, Director, and Actor. The prevailing feeling was that the field this year was very weak, and I tend to agree. I'd only seen Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, and The Descendants, I'd enjoyed the first two and didn't particularly like the latter. The rest of the films range from movies I object to from a political standpoint like The Help, or movies like War Horse that you couldn't pay me to see. In the end though my opinions about these films don't really make a difference, and I'm not going to expound on my cinematic tastes at length in this column.
Instead I want to discuss the prevailing media narrative that this year's Oscars were particularly boring. I find this point fairly ridiculous. For one thing, no one is forcing you to watch or even care. This argument, while fundamentally true, ignores the fact that we exist in a culture where the Oscars are something that are widely discussed, and to ignore it is to potentially miss out on popular culture fodder. For whatever reason, it's been decided that the Oscars is Important and Culturally Relevant, and any other adjectival phrases that denote a similar meaning. I'm sure many follow the Oscars from a distance, ignoring the live broadcast and instead following it on the social media sphere, still it dominates the public narrative for the weeks surrounding it and it has taken on a sort of Super Bowl aspect in that people who aren't necessarily interested in it feel compelled to display some knowledge about it.
Let's ignore the fact that one can simply eschew watching it if they want, and instead challenge the perception that the Oscars is boring in some objective sense. The short answer is: Of course it is. This owes more to the structure then any creative decision the producers make. It's an award show, they can add whatever glitz and glamour they want to it, but in the end it boils down to someone reading a list, and then announcing that one of the items on that list was chosen above the others. Maybe the Oscars could borrow a page from reality tv and cut to commercial right before winners are announced, but I'm happy they don't try to ratchet up the anticipation through that manipulative trick.
I'd argue that the Oscars actually does a very good job of making a boring medium somewhat less boring. They pack it full of jokes, some of which are pretty funny. Last night, they had a performance from Cirque De Soleil, which few would describe as boring. They do a good job of making it a spectacle, everyone is concerned with who the various stars are 'wearing'. One thing that always makes me laugh is when they get various stars to expound on their love of movies. I get it, movies are great, they're entertaining, but there is an amount of self importance that I find hard to swallow. Still, I found the Oscars to be pretty enjoyable at times, I thought Billy Crystal did a good job as host. Let me reiterate my central thesis, the format of award shows is what's boring. One slight fix I've thought of: it might be interesting if they announced the vote breakdown of the the big awards.
Now, my relative praise of the Oscars does not mean I was glued to the television throughout. From about 9:50 until 11, I watched the Celebrity Apprentice. The Celebrity Apprentice is one of the few shows that matches the Oscars in terms of it's outsized self importance, it's consumerism, and it's celebration of celebrity culture. What makes it slightly more compelling, in my opinion, is that it shows the competition as opposed to merely announcing the winner.
Let's be brutally honest for a second, the Oscars is boring and unimportant. Somehow, it has become a must watch, culturally essential, event. Movies are great, they are entertaining, but talking about them is boring. There is no way to make art seem less beautiful, less a visceral expression of human talent, then to endlessly deconstruct it. The Oscars is a celebration of that deconstruction, it breaks down entire movies into weird sub-categories. How are we supposed to know what movie had the best sound editing and what does that even mean? That may be the Oscars biggest flaw, not that the event is boring, but that it weirdly individualizes a collective effort.
Instead I want to discuss the prevailing media narrative that this year's Oscars were particularly boring. I find this point fairly ridiculous. For one thing, no one is forcing you to watch or even care. This argument, while fundamentally true, ignores the fact that we exist in a culture where the Oscars are something that are widely discussed, and to ignore it is to potentially miss out on popular culture fodder. For whatever reason, it's been decided that the Oscars is Important and Culturally Relevant, and any other adjectival phrases that denote a similar meaning. I'm sure many follow the Oscars from a distance, ignoring the live broadcast and instead following it on the social media sphere, still it dominates the public narrative for the weeks surrounding it and it has taken on a sort of Super Bowl aspect in that people who aren't necessarily interested in it feel compelled to display some knowledge about it.
Let's ignore the fact that one can simply eschew watching it if they want, and instead challenge the perception that the Oscars is boring in some objective sense. The short answer is: Of course it is. This owes more to the structure then any creative decision the producers make. It's an award show, they can add whatever glitz and glamour they want to it, but in the end it boils down to someone reading a list, and then announcing that one of the items on that list was chosen above the others. Maybe the Oscars could borrow a page from reality tv and cut to commercial right before winners are announced, but I'm happy they don't try to ratchet up the anticipation through that manipulative trick.
I'd argue that the Oscars actually does a very good job of making a boring medium somewhat less boring. They pack it full of jokes, some of which are pretty funny. Last night, they had a performance from Cirque De Soleil, which few would describe as boring. They do a good job of making it a spectacle, everyone is concerned with who the various stars are 'wearing'. One thing that always makes me laugh is when they get various stars to expound on their love of movies. I get it, movies are great, they're entertaining, but there is an amount of self importance that I find hard to swallow. Still, I found the Oscars to be pretty enjoyable at times, I thought Billy Crystal did a good job as host. Let me reiterate my central thesis, the format of award shows is what's boring. One slight fix I've thought of: it might be interesting if they announced the vote breakdown of the the big awards.
Now, my relative praise of the Oscars does not mean I was glued to the television throughout. From about 9:50 until 11, I watched the Celebrity Apprentice. The Celebrity Apprentice is one of the few shows that matches the Oscars in terms of it's outsized self importance, it's consumerism, and it's celebration of celebrity culture. What makes it slightly more compelling, in my opinion, is that it shows the competition as opposed to merely announcing the winner.
Let's be brutally honest for a second, the Oscars is boring and unimportant. Somehow, it has become a must watch, culturally essential, event. Movies are great, they are entertaining, but talking about them is boring. There is no way to make art seem less beautiful, less a visceral expression of human talent, then to endlessly deconstruct it. The Oscars is a celebration of that deconstruction, it breaks down entire movies into weird sub-categories. How are we supposed to know what movie had the best sound editing and what does that even mean? That may be the Oscars biggest flaw, not that the event is boring, but that it weirdly individualizes a collective effort.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Bradley Manning Vs. The American Empire
Bradley Manning, a cause celebre of The Redel Traub report, and defenders of free speech and truth everywhere, was arraigned in a military court today. Well, Bradley Manning deferred his plea today, as well as whether he wants to be judged by a military jury or solely by a judge. To review, Manning is the whistleblower who stands accused of releasing a cache of secure military documents to Wikileaks. For this, Manning faces 22 charges and the real possibility of life in prison.
Manning's defense team is expected to formulate a defense based on several aspects. Firstly, that the documents Manning released, while embarrassing diplomatically, did not substantively aid the enemy or imperil U.S. interests. Even Hillary Clinton has been quoted as saying that the documents Manning released “did not represent significant consequences to foreign policy.” Hand in hand with this defense is the idea that much of what Manning leaked shouldn't have been classified in the first place.
Another main component of the defense is that Bradley Manning was facing severe emotional distress because of his sexuality. Manning wrote to an online companion that "It took them a while, but they started figuring me out, making fun of me, mocking me, harassing me, heating up with one or two physical attacks." Though Manning surely suffered, this defense almost cheapens his moral stance in my mind. Many of the folks that have celebrated Manning have done so in the belief that he was a beacon of free speech, willing to speak truth to power, but this charge of harassment makes him seem vindictive. The defense argues that Manning was clearly unstable, he appears to have violated many rules and apparently had violent emotional outbursts in Iraq, so the military should've been wary granting this clearly troubled soldier with access to sensitive material.
Far be it for me to speak on the pressures of being gay in the military in the heyday of "don't ask don't tell," and it certainly seems like he suffered real abuse, but I'd like to think that Manning was so moved by the crimes he saw that he was willing to take a risk to expose them. Perhaps it was a mixture of both the abuse and his conscience. Apparently, Manning was so disturbed by an incident in Iraq in which he felt his actions had caused the death of an innocent civilian that he spoke to a counsellor, and he expressed anger over his observation that military higher-ups seemed to care little about Iraqi civilians. Maybe Manning was moved by his conscience and was unmoored because of the abuse he'd suffered.
Other pieces of his defense include the idea that he was given too much clearance for a soldier of his low rank. Also, the computers that were used to download the files, which the Army has forensically tied to Manning, were used by other. Additionally, though this bears more relevance to Julian Assange's extradition, the Army has been unable to find a direct link between Mr. Assange and Mr. Manning.
In the end it seems Mr. Manning's guilt is a fait accompli. Manning has spent about two years in solitary confinement, regularly being placed on suicide watch. Even if Manning defies the odds and is acquitted no one can imagine the emotional hell he's been in for the past several years. And for what? The biggest tragedy of the Wikileaks saga is that it's hardly made a dimes worth of difference. The folks who were outraged by the crimes Wikileaks made public, were folks that were already opposed to U.S. intervention, and already well informed on the horrors of the wars the U.S. was waging in the Mid East. To the general American public it seems that Wikileaks didn't mean a thing. They were waging their own "don't ask, don't tell" campaign, they didn't ask about the grim realities of war and they sure as hell didn't want anyone to tell them. In the recent ratcheting up of tensions with Iran, the U.S. is headed down the identical bellicose path as it did 9 years ago in the run up to war with Iraq. Like Iraq, Iran supposedly poses a severe threat to the U.S. and it's interests and we simply can't wait until the smoking gun is a mushroom cloud over New York or Tel Aviv. Regardless of Bradley Manning's mental state he did a remarkably brave thing, he uncovered harsh truths and for that he'll likely spend his life in jail; it's a tragedy. Even more tragic is that it all appears to be for nought, the American public decided to hear no evil and continue down the same road to perdition Manning desperately tried to expose.
Manning's defense team is expected to formulate a defense based on several aspects. Firstly, that the documents Manning released, while embarrassing diplomatically, did not substantively aid the enemy or imperil U.S. interests. Even Hillary Clinton has been quoted as saying that the documents Manning released “did not represent significant consequences to foreign policy.” Hand in hand with this defense is the idea that much of what Manning leaked shouldn't have been classified in the first place.
Another main component of the defense is that Bradley Manning was facing severe emotional distress because of his sexuality. Manning wrote to an online companion that "It took them a while, but they started figuring me out, making fun of me, mocking me, harassing me, heating up with one or two physical attacks." Though Manning surely suffered, this defense almost cheapens his moral stance in my mind. Many of the folks that have celebrated Manning have done so in the belief that he was a beacon of free speech, willing to speak truth to power, but this charge of harassment makes him seem vindictive. The defense argues that Manning was clearly unstable, he appears to have violated many rules and apparently had violent emotional outbursts in Iraq, so the military should've been wary granting this clearly troubled soldier with access to sensitive material.
Far be it for me to speak on the pressures of being gay in the military in the heyday of "don't ask don't tell," and it certainly seems like he suffered real abuse, but I'd like to think that Manning was so moved by the crimes he saw that he was willing to take a risk to expose them. Perhaps it was a mixture of both the abuse and his conscience. Apparently, Manning was so disturbed by an incident in Iraq in which he felt his actions had caused the death of an innocent civilian that he spoke to a counsellor, and he expressed anger over his observation that military higher-ups seemed to care little about Iraqi civilians. Maybe Manning was moved by his conscience and was unmoored because of the abuse he'd suffered.
Other pieces of his defense include the idea that he was given too much clearance for a soldier of his low rank. Also, the computers that were used to download the files, which the Army has forensically tied to Manning, were used by other. Additionally, though this bears more relevance to Julian Assange's extradition, the Army has been unable to find a direct link between Mr. Assange and Mr. Manning.
In the end it seems Mr. Manning's guilt is a fait accompli. Manning has spent about two years in solitary confinement, regularly being placed on suicide watch. Even if Manning defies the odds and is acquitted no one can imagine the emotional hell he's been in for the past several years. And for what? The biggest tragedy of the Wikileaks saga is that it's hardly made a dimes worth of difference. The folks who were outraged by the crimes Wikileaks made public, were folks that were already opposed to U.S. intervention, and already well informed on the horrors of the wars the U.S. was waging in the Mid East. To the general American public it seems that Wikileaks didn't mean a thing. They were waging their own "don't ask, don't tell" campaign, they didn't ask about the grim realities of war and they sure as hell didn't want anyone to tell them. In the recent ratcheting up of tensions with Iran, the U.S. is headed down the identical bellicose path as it did 9 years ago in the run up to war with Iraq. Like Iraq, Iran supposedly poses a severe threat to the U.S. and it's interests and we simply can't wait until the smoking gun is a mushroom cloud over New York or Tel Aviv. Regardless of Bradley Manning's mental state he did a remarkably brave thing, he uncovered harsh truths and for that he'll likely spend his life in jail; it's a tragedy. Even more tragic is that it all appears to be for nought, the American public decided to hear no evil and continue down the same road to perdition Manning desperately tried to expose.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Devil, Rick Santorum, and Brokered Conventions
In 2006 one of my favorite moments in international relations history happened. Hugo Chavez came to the UN to speak the day after George W. Bush had spoken there. Hugo started his speech off by remarking that the dais smelled like sulfur because George Bush's satanic presence had been there just one day before. It was a hysterical piece of political discourse, a put down par excellence. I'm reminded of that moment today, because Drudge has a Santorum quote plastered as his headline. In it Santorum warns that Satan is attacking America and it's institutions, even mainline Protestantism is falling victim to the Devil's prey.
Ladies and Gentlemen your GOP frontrunner. We're a week out from primaries in Michigan and Arizona and it seems like Santorum might score an incredible upset over Mitt in his home state of Michigan, and keep it relatively close in Arizona. The GOP may well be headed to a brokered convention, an idea I mentioned in these pages several weeks ago, and the lamestream media now appears to see as a possibility.
It is truly remarkable that an unreformed Christian conservative like Rick Santorum seems to be gaining traction in today's GOP. Many thought that with the rise of the Tea Party, the social wars would be pushed to the background. It seemed that the Tea Party was more focused on economic problems than concerns over gay marriage and abortion. It's always been somewhat of a mystery to me that the GOP which pledges to favor limited government is so worried about people's personal choices. To me it signals that the GOP isn't concerned about "limited" government, but rather "regressive" government, which enforces the social, political, and economic mores of the 1880s.
The curious thing is that all of the so-called Tea Party candidates, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, and now Santorum are unrepentant theocrats. Perhaps it indicates that the "Tea Party" is merely a rebranding of the GOP, which was in a state of unmitigated decline following the Bush years and the Obama ascendency. This isn't a groundbreaking theory, but it's funny how transparent it's become. Ron Paul is a natural candidate of the Tea Party with his severe theories of economic conservatism and he's even sufficiently anti-abortion, but his politics on foreign policy and the drug war are too far outside the mainstream even for the Tea Party, which is supposedly a renegade group.
If it's Santorum, he'll be a lamb to the slaughter to quote his favorite book. If the GOP is crazy enough to nominate such a polarizing and unmarketable candidate as Santorum they may well lose their major party status. A Santorum candidacy may well invite thrid party runs from Trump and Paul, perhaps forever fracturing the party. All of this is a testament to how unattractive Mitt Romney is. Every educated Republican knows Santorum is unelectable, but many are still unable to hold their noses and vote Romney. Instead, GOP insiders pray for a brokered convention, openly pining for Mitch Daniels or Jeb Bush. I just don't see how Mitt Romney, who's been hemorrhaging votes this entire election season can turn things around, now that many in the establishment seem willing to go to a brokered convention.
Ladies and Gentlemen your GOP frontrunner. We're a week out from primaries in Michigan and Arizona and it seems like Santorum might score an incredible upset over Mitt in his home state of Michigan, and keep it relatively close in Arizona. The GOP may well be headed to a brokered convention, an idea I mentioned in these pages several weeks ago, and the lamestream media now appears to see as a possibility.
It is truly remarkable that an unreformed Christian conservative like Rick Santorum seems to be gaining traction in today's GOP. Many thought that with the rise of the Tea Party, the social wars would be pushed to the background. It seemed that the Tea Party was more focused on economic problems than concerns over gay marriage and abortion. It's always been somewhat of a mystery to me that the GOP which pledges to favor limited government is so worried about people's personal choices. To me it signals that the GOP isn't concerned about "limited" government, but rather "regressive" government, which enforces the social, political, and economic mores of the 1880s.
The curious thing is that all of the so-called Tea Party candidates, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, and now Santorum are unrepentant theocrats. Perhaps it indicates that the "Tea Party" is merely a rebranding of the GOP, which was in a state of unmitigated decline following the Bush years and the Obama ascendency. This isn't a groundbreaking theory, but it's funny how transparent it's become. Ron Paul is a natural candidate of the Tea Party with his severe theories of economic conservatism and he's even sufficiently anti-abortion, but his politics on foreign policy and the drug war are too far outside the mainstream even for the Tea Party, which is supposedly a renegade group.
If it's Santorum, he'll be a lamb to the slaughter to quote his favorite book. If the GOP is crazy enough to nominate such a polarizing and unmarketable candidate as Santorum they may well lose their major party status. A Santorum candidacy may well invite thrid party runs from Trump and Paul, perhaps forever fracturing the party. All of this is a testament to how unattractive Mitt Romney is. Every educated Republican knows Santorum is unelectable, but many are still unable to hold their noses and vote Romney. Instead, GOP insiders pray for a brokered convention, openly pining for Mitch Daniels or Jeb Bush. I just don't see how Mitt Romney, who's been hemorrhaging votes this entire election season can turn things around, now that many in the establishment seem willing to go to a brokered convention.
Monday, February 20, 2012
How Jeremy Lin Saved My Life and A Chink in ESPN's Respectability
I know that over the past several months The Redel Traub Report has emerged as one of the premier sites for hard news. It is an essential repository for anyone who wants to get a complete, and fair and balanced, view of the social landscape. Thusly I feel as though I've shirked my duty, to a certain degree, with regards to tensions in the Middle East, though I did some reporting on Iran on January 13th, which can be accessed here: http://theredeltraubreport.blogspot.com/2012/01/off-to-war-we-go.html. Still my writing has hardly focused on the inane run up to war we're seeing in Iran, and I haven't talked about the situation in Syria. Both are very interesting, and I assure you I have prescient and profound commentaries on both which I will share in the upcoming week. But all of us here at The Redel Traub Report feel that those subjects are simply too depressing to talk about on President's Day. Instead of focusing on international relations, we'll turn to Linternational relations
I know I've beat this Lin and the Knicks thing into the ground, as has the entire media, but it's been an amazing experience for me. My life of sport's fandom has been incredibly depressing. I've never seen any of my teams win a championship, and even worse the Mets, Jets, and Knicks have become laughingstocks. Symbols of futility, the goliath that is easily felled by other teams "moneyball" strategies and better management.
The Knicks have arguably been the most disappointing of the three, they failed to compete for the entire decade of the 2000s. Jim Dolan is one of the most reviled owners in sports, never hesitant to overpay for mediocre talent. Still I remained optimistic, I'd talk myself into whatever crazy trade Isaiah Thomas would make, and believed that if the Knicks just got the right coaching, or time to gel, they could be a contender. That's why this season was so depressing, now that they were supposedly bonafide contenders they still played like the Knicks of old. It seemed that my long nightmare was never ending, and had taken a new horrifying turn. Then Jeremy Lin came around and changed my life.
I've been careful not to heap too much praise on Lin or the Knicks in general. I'm snakebitten from too many disappointments and horrified of jinxing their run. I think it's fair to say at this point Lin is actually a very good player, he certainly won't keep up this torrid pace, but he can be an effective PG in the NBA. The Knicks as a whole are rounding into shape as well, the recently acquired JR Smith provides athleticism and shooting and should improve the SG play. Baron Davis comes back tonight and should be able to spell Lin at PG and provide more bench scoring. Carmelo Anthony may return tonight, Knicks fans are alternately thrilled and horrified by this. Carmelo's talents within the offensive system the Knicks have been running could be unstoppable, but if he returns to his iso game and ball stopping ways, Knicks fans will be livid. Even Coach D'antoni has been better, he seems reinvigorated by Lin, and doesn't seem to be openly longing to be fired as he did a mere two weeks ago.
The Knicks had a thrilling win against the Mavericks yesterday. They saw a big 1st quarter lead dissipate into a 12 point 3rd quarter disadvantage. Then Lin, Jeffries, and Novak, the Knicks motley big three took over. Lin got back to back "and ones". Jeffries played tough defense and drew some charges. Novak was on fire, scoring 14 points all in the fourth quarter. It's an odd looking bunch, an Asian, a stiff white dude, and a string bean, but somehow they're effective. The Knicks went from having no bench depth to now being one of the deepest teams in the league. I'm on cloud nine, it feels as though this remarkable turn around is restitution for all the heartbreak I've faced. The Knicks take on the Nets tonight, and it was these Nets that Lin had his breakout game against roughly two weeks ago. It's been an amazing run and I hope it continues.
Lin has become a full fledged media sensation. Sports Center airs several segments about him each show, and Knicks news is now treated as the most important sports story, ESPN aired D'antoni's press conference yesterday, something that would've been unthinkable two weeks ago. Of course the story took a darker turn on Friday following the Knicks loss to the Hornets. Some wiseass at ESPN titled an article about that game "A Chink in the Armor". Obviously, an incredibly culturally insensitive statement, racism against Asians seems to be less taboo and that is a real problem. Still some part of me finds that headline strangely clever. Chink in the armor is a phrase that doesn't have a racist etymology, like Indian giver or something, and the writer was using the phrase correctly. It's a pun, though admittedly, one that derives it's humor from latent racism, but I like headlines that attempt to be clever, be it through alliteration, assonance, puns, or some other verbal trick. I understand the anger, I decry the racism, but part of me feels for the writer who thought he'd come up with a clever title, and more blame should be placed on the higher ups who didn't seem to bat an eyelash until there was a public uproar.
I know I've beat this Lin and the Knicks thing into the ground, as has the entire media, but it's been an amazing experience for me. My life of sport's fandom has been incredibly depressing. I've never seen any of my teams win a championship, and even worse the Mets, Jets, and Knicks have become laughingstocks. Symbols of futility, the goliath that is easily felled by other teams "moneyball" strategies and better management.
The Knicks have arguably been the most disappointing of the three, they failed to compete for the entire decade of the 2000s. Jim Dolan is one of the most reviled owners in sports, never hesitant to overpay for mediocre talent. Still I remained optimistic, I'd talk myself into whatever crazy trade Isaiah Thomas would make, and believed that if the Knicks just got the right coaching, or time to gel, they could be a contender. That's why this season was so depressing, now that they were supposedly bonafide contenders they still played like the Knicks of old. It seemed that my long nightmare was never ending, and had taken a new horrifying turn. Then Jeremy Lin came around and changed my life.
I've been careful not to heap too much praise on Lin or the Knicks in general. I'm snakebitten from too many disappointments and horrified of jinxing their run. I think it's fair to say at this point Lin is actually a very good player, he certainly won't keep up this torrid pace, but he can be an effective PG in the NBA. The Knicks as a whole are rounding into shape as well, the recently acquired JR Smith provides athleticism and shooting and should improve the SG play. Baron Davis comes back tonight and should be able to spell Lin at PG and provide more bench scoring. Carmelo Anthony may return tonight, Knicks fans are alternately thrilled and horrified by this. Carmelo's talents within the offensive system the Knicks have been running could be unstoppable, but if he returns to his iso game and ball stopping ways, Knicks fans will be livid. Even Coach D'antoni has been better, he seems reinvigorated by Lin, and doesn't seem to be openly longing to be fired as he did a mere two weeks ago.
The Knicks had a thrilling win against the Mavericks yesterday. They saw a big 1st quarter lead dissipate into a 12 point 3rd quarter disadvantage. Then Lin, Jeffries, and Novak, the Knicks motley big three took over. Lin got back to back "and ones". Jeffries played tough defense and drew some charges. Novak was on fire, scoring 14 points all in the fourth quarter. It's an odd looking bunch, an Asian, a stiff white dude, and a string bean, but somehow they're effective. The Knicks went from having no bench depth to now being one of the deepest teams in the league. I'm on cloud nine, it feels as though this remarkable turn around is restitution for all the heartbreak I've faced. The Knicks take on the Nets tonight, and it was these Nets that Lin had his breakout game against roughly two weeks ago. It's been an amazing run and I hope it continues.
Lin has become a full fledged media sensation. Sports Center airs several segments about him each show, and Knicks news is now treated as the most important sports story, ESPN aired D'antoni's press conference yesterday, something that would've been unthinkable two weeks ago. Of course the story took a darker turn on Friday following the Knicks loss to the Hornets. Some wiseass at ESPN titled an article about that game "A Chink in the Armor". Obviously, an incredibly culturally insensitive statement, racism against Asians seems to be less taboo and that is a real problem. Still some part of me finds that headline strangely clever. Chink in the armor is a phrase that doesn't have a racist etymology, like Indian giver or something, and the writer was using the phrase correctly. It's a pun, though admittedly, one that derives it's humor from latent racism, but I like headlines that attempt to be clever, be it through alliteration, assonance, puns, or some other verbal trick. I understand the anger, I decry the racism, but part of me feels for the writer who thought he'd come up with a clever title, and more blame should be placed on the higher ups who didn't seem to bat an eyelash until there was a public uproar.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Lament for a Lost Debate
It seems that this GOP primary has taken yet another cruel turn. The lack of debates in February has severely limited the range of topics my hard hitting commentary can touch on. I use the phrase "severely limited" to echo my man Mitt Romney's assertion at CPAC that he's "severely conservative". Many in the media have criticized Romney for that strange idiomatic departure, it's certainly a strange adjectival choice. Chris Matthews also had fun with Romney's assertion that the trees in Michigan are the right height, likening it to something one of the coneheads might say. Both are indicative of a man who seems ill at ease speaking naturally. But I digress, with Super Tuesday right around the corner, and the Republican race seemingly beginning to calcify I'm left longing for more debates. I will have to wait, because CNN has canceled a March 2nd debate after Romney and Ron Paul said they wouldn't show.
Of course, these GOP debates are debased spectacles. They are boring, they shed little light on the issues, the candidates usually just recite talking points, and the whole event devolves into a pissing contest over who's the most conservative candidate. For whatever reason I still find them to be compelling. Part of it is a pure voyeuristic thrill, watching people espouse ideas that are diametrically opposed to my world view is interesting for whatever reason. It's simultaneously infuriating and hilarious. Another reason I enjoy the debates is perhaps more earnest. I enjoy the spectacle of politics, and political discourse. I like to watch candidates being forced out of their comfort zone.
I can't really blame Romney for skipping the debate. They have weakened his candidacy. Each time Romney debates, the juxtaposition with other candidates makes him sound more disingenuous and uncomfortable. Still a strong debate performance could've been a boon to his faltering campaign. I guess Romney's strategy is to try and run out the clock. He'll use his vast financial advantage to blast the other candidates and sit above the fray.
Today Newt Gingrich backer Shelly Adelson gave him 10 million more dollars today. Newt must be making the calculation that Santorum might be even less attractive to independents than him, and thus it may be wise to stick around. I feel kind of bad for Newt, at two points in this race it appeared he was on his way to coasting to the nomination. Nothing is worse to a narcissist than seemingly getting your way only to have it taken from you. Riding high in Iowa and South Carolina, Newt must've felt that the public finally saw him as the genius he always knew he was, making it sting much more when they started thinking he was a dithering gasbag again.
This Republican Primary has surpassed anyone's expectations. Early on many liberals who fretted about Obama's reelection chances reminded themselves that the extremely weak field would play to his advantage. I don't think any liberal could've imagined that Rick Santorum would be one of the leading contenders this late in the game. Santorum is a political joke, us east coast elites see him as a persona non grata for his virulently anti-gay remarks. After Santorum's win in Iowa I compared him to Tim Tebow, with the crux of my argument being that it was unclear whether his success was due to his own skill or the missteps of his opposition, the analogy has only grown stronger over time. That Obama is either going to face a weakened Mitt Romney or an out of touch Santorum is a testament to the inanity of the Republican process. The debates have been a big part of the inanity, with each candidate forced into more extreme positions as they try and outflank their opponents. As the primary season wraps up, I'm sad that I won't have many more opportunities to watch the Republicans duel.
Of course, these GOP debates are debased spectacles. They are boring, they shed little light on the issues, the candidates usually just recite talking points, and the whole event devolves into a pissing contest over who's the most conservative candidate. For whatever reason I still find them to be compelling. Part of it is a pure voyeuristic thrill, watching people espouse ideas that are diametrically opposed to my world view is interesting for whatever reason. It's simultaneously infuriating and hilarious. Another reason I enjoy the debates is perhaps more earnest. I enjoy the spectacle of politics, and political discourse. I like to watch candidates being forced out of their comfort zone.
I can't really blame Romney for skipping the debate. They have weakened his candidacy. Each time Romney debates, the juxtaposition with other candidates makes him sound more disingenuous and uncomfortable. Still a strong debate performance could've been a boon to his faltering campaign. I guess Romney's strategy is to try and run out the clock. He'll use his vast financial advantage to blast the other candidates and sit above the fray.
Today Newt Gingrich backer Shelly Adelson gave him 10 million more dollars today. Newt must be making the calculation that Santorum might be even less attractive to independents than him, and thus it may be wise to stick around. I feel kind of bad for Newt, at two points in this race it appeared he was on his way to coasting to the nomination. Nothing is worse to a narcissist than seemingly getting your way only to have it taken from you. Riding high in Iowa and South Carolina, Newt must've felt that the public finally saw him as the genius he always knew he was, making it sting much more when they started thinking he was a dithering gasbag again.
This Republican Primary has surpassed anyone's expectations. Early on many liberals who fretted about Obama's reelection chances reminded themselves that the extremely weak field would play to his advantage. I don't think any liberal could've imagined that Rick Santorum would be one of the leading contenders this late in the game. Santorum is a political joke, us east coast elites see him as a persona non grata for his virulently anti-gay remarks. After Santorum's win in Iowa I compared him to Tim Tebow, with the crux of my argument being that it was unclear whether his success was due to his own skill or the missteps of his opposition, the analogy has only grown stronger over time. That Obama is either going to face a weakened Mitt Romney or an out of touch Santorum is a testament to the inanity of the Republican process. The debates have been a big part of the inanity, with each candidate forced into more extreme positions as they try and outflank their opponents. As the primary season wraps up, I'm sad that I won't have many more opportunities to watch the Republicans duel.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Lin and Kim
It's been a fairly slow week for news and I'm not quite sure what to write about. The Knicks won again last night. I don't want to beat a dead horse and I'm not sure I have anything interesting left to say about Lin. Last night the Knicks won easily, Lin barely broke a sweat, and his legend continues to grow. Lin was efficient last night, dishing out a career high 13 assists, including some impressive alley oops, as the Knicks blew out the Sacramento Kings. He has come to totally dominate the dominate the public narrative. Today I awoke to the hysterical news that Jeremy Lin might be going out on a date with Kim Kardashian.
If ever anyone doubted Kim Kardashian's total media whoredom, the issue can be laid to rest today. The Kardashians are remarkably media savvy, and are experts at inserting themselves into a story. Kim is seeking to shed the public ill will bore on her after her 2 month sham wedding, and there is no better way than to latch on to the beacon of good karma that is Jeremy Lin.
It's an illustration that the Jeremy Lin saga has transcended sports and crossed over into the realm of cultural phenomena. Interest from the Kardashians is the truest sign you're culturally relevent. In some ways Lin is a new age version of the American dream. He's gone from metaphorical rags to riches almost overnight, and he's going to get a femme fatale to boot. Two weeks ago Lin was firmly planted on the end of the Knicks bench, and now he's the subject of tabloid rumor. What a country!
If ever anyone doubted Kim Kardashian's total media whoredom, the issue can be laid to rest today. The Kardashians are remarkably media savvy, and are experts at inserting themselves into a story. Kim is seeking to shed the public ill will bore on her after her 2 month sham wedding, and there is no better way than to latch on to the beacon of good karma that is Jeremy Lin.
It's an illustration that the Jeremy Lin saga has transcended sports and crossed over into the realm of cultural phenomena. Interest from the Kardashians is the truest sign you're culturally relevent. In some ways Lin is a new age version of the American dream. He's gone from metaphorical rags to riches almost overnight, and he's going to get a femme fatale to boot. Two weeks ago Lin was firmly planted on the end of the Knicks bench, and now he's the subject of tabloid rumor. What a country!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Lin
At points during last nights Knicks-Raptors game it appeared the Jeremy Lin saga had run its course. Lin was being torched by Raptor point guard Jose Calderon. He was turning the ball over with alarming frequency. The offense had stagnated with the return of Amar'e Stoudemire and the Knicks were just not making their shots. The Knicks looked pedestrian against the 9-20 Raptors, and it appeared that the strategy of taking away Lin's right hand and doubling off pick and rolls had neutralized his effectiveness. The Knicks trailed the whole game and it appeared that their best efforts at a comeback were thwarted by their inability to make free throws.
And then just as the deal seemed sealed, Iman Shumpert came up with a steal in the open court and the Knicks were back in the game. After a defensive stand, Lin came free at the three point line, he pump faked drove imperviously to the hoop and made a miraculous "and one". The Knicks got another defensive stop, and with the score tied and about 30 seconds left Iman Shumpert missed off the backboard. But Tyson Chandler back tapped the rebound to Shumpert who passed to Jeremy Lin at the top of the key. The shot clock was turned off and the game was going to come down to this one possession. Lin dribbled as the clock ran down, every Knick fan, and Jose Calderon, expected Tyson Chandler or Amar'e to come set a screen, but the screen never came. The clock counted down 5 seconds...4...3...2..1, Lin launched a three...nothing but net...pure Linsanity.
Just like that the cult of Jeremy Lin exploded into new heights. Twitter went absolutely berserk and ESPN ran a myriad of segments about Lin. Linsanity had a signature moment. Lin isn't known for his jump shooting prowess, but as he dribbled at the top of the key he looked serenely confident. It's been that kind of two weeks for Lin, everything he's touched has turned to gold.
Two weeks ago I was writing horrible things about this Knicks team. I argued that the 2003 talentless Knicks were far more fun to root for. I've always enjoyed rooting for untalented, scrappy teams, and the 2012 Knicks have been reinvented as just that. Instead of relying on superstars, the Knicks are a ragtag bunch which relies on a collection of role players. Jared Jeffries has been reinvented as the leagues best help defender, his scrawny body flopping to the floor as he draws yet another charge. Steve Novak is the spark plug off the bench, his silky smooth shooting augmented by a surprising ability to defend and rebound. Last night it was Iman Shumpert who played the hero, his strip of Calderon led the Knicks back from the brink of defeat. If this run has been at all bittersweet it's because of the depressing regression of Toney Douglas. Last year Douglas was a crowd favorite, I can still picture him making 9 threes in some peacocking orange shoes against Memphis. I had high hopes for Douglas this season, but it seems that he hasn't been able to put the effects of an offseason shoulder surgery behind him. I hold out hope for Douglas, but D'antoni seems to be a coach who holds grudges and it doesn't seem like Toney is getting off the bench anytime soon.
The NBA is a league of genetic freaks, they are bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone you've ever seen in real life. In contrast, Jeremy Lin looks like someone you might see on the subway. He's an everyman, because he looks like an everyman. He isn't physically imposing, his strength is surprising for his slight build. Lin has led the Knicks back from the brink, and his every achievement whips New York into a bigger frenzy. The Knicks take on the Kings tonight with a chance to return to .500. Two weeks ago it seemed unthinkable to imagine the Knicks rattling off 6 straight wins, and yet here we are. It feels like a dream, it feels Linsane. We wait with baited breath to see what Lin and the Knicks do next.
And then just as the deal seemed sealed, Iman Shumpert came up with a steal in the open court and the Knicks were back in the game. After a defensive stand, Lin came free at the three point line, he pump faked drove imperviously to the hoop and made a miraculous "and one". The Knicks got another defensive stop, and with the score tied and about 30 seconds left Iman Shumpert missed off the backboard. But Tyson Chandler back tapped the rebound to Shumpert who passed to Jeremy Lin at the top of the key. The shot clock was turned off and the game was going to come down to this one possession. Lin dribbled as the clock ran down, every Knick fan, and Jose Calderon, expected Tyson Chandler or Amar'e to come set a screen, but the screen never came. The clock counted down 5 seconds...4...3...2..1, Lin launched a three...nothing but net...pure Linsanity.
Just like that the cult of Jeremy Lin exploded into new heights. Twitter went absolutely berserk and ESPN ran a myriad of segments about Lin. Linsanity had a signature moment. Lin isn't known for his jump shooting prowess, but as he dribbled at the top of the key he looked serenely confident. It's been that kind of two weeks for Lin, everything he's touched has turned to gold.
Two weeks ago I was writing horrible things about this Knicks team. I argued that the 2003 talentless Knicks were far more fun to root for. I've always enjoyed rooting for untalented, scrappy teams, and the 2012 Knicks have been reinvented as just that. Instead of relying on superstars, the Knicks are a ragtag bunch which relies on a collection of role players. Jared Jeffries has been reinvented as the leagues best help defender, his scrawny body flopping to the floor as he draws yet another charge. Steve Novak is the spark plug off the bench, his silky smooth shooting augmented by a surprising ability to defend and rebound. Last night it was Iman Shumpert who played the hero, his strip of Calderon led the Knicks back from the brink of defeat. If this run has been at all bittersweet it's because of the depressing regression of Toney Douglas. Last year Douglas was a crowd favorite, I can still picture him making 9 threes in some peacocking orange shoes against Memphis. I had high hopes for Douglas this season, but it seems that he hasn't been able to put the effects of an offseason shoulder surgery behind him. I hold out hope for Douglas, but D'antoni seems to be a coach who holds grudges and it doesn't seem like Toney is getting off the bench anytime soon.
The NBA is a league of genetic freaks, they are bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone you've ever seen in real life. In contrast, Jeremy Lin looks like someone you might see on the subway. He's an everyman, because he looks like an everyman. He isn't physically imposing, his strength is surprising for his slight build. Lin has led the Knicks back from the brink, and his every achievement whips New York into a bigger frenzy. The Knicks take on the Kings tonight with a chance to return to .500. Two weeks ago it seemed unthinkable to imagine the Knicks rattling off 6 straight wins, and yet here we are. It feels like a dream, it feels Linsane. We wait with baited breath to see what Lin and the Knicks do next.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Santorum Spikes
I guess 2012 is the year of the pious underdog. After Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin alighted their respective leagues, it seems that Rick Santorum may well be the Republican nominee. In one of my first articles on the site, I argued that Rick Santorum wasn't a credible candidate and was essentially running for Vice-President. At the time I recognized that the Republican base was fickle, but I couldn't imagine that Santorum would end up becoming the Anti-Romney. It appears to be a great quirk of fate, Santorum's candidacy flew under the radar until a couple days before Iowa, leaving him immune to scrutiny from the media and his fellow candidates.
Santorum's win in Iowa provided him with a big boost, but he wasn't yet a major candidate. However, the win allowed him to stick around in the race while other also-rans fled from the race like rats on a sinking ship. He weathered Newt Gingrich's calls to withdraw, and when the race shrank to 4 candidates, Santorum began to seem more attractive. In another blog I compared Romney and Gingrich to Twain's Duke and Dauphain. In contrast, Santorum and Ron Paul came off as beacons of honesty and integrity. While you can bash the media for ignoring Dr. Paul, his politics are simply too divergent from the mainstream of the Republican Party for him to ever become the nominee.
And thus, Santorum became more and more attractive. He began scoring points in the debates, and started to gain traction. Following his big wins in last Tuesday's contests, he raised a bunch of money, and he became the proverbial Anti-Romney. A series of recent polls show that his ascendence might be for real. A number of polls show him with a slight lead over Romney nationally, and more jarringly for the Romney campaign, some polls show him leading Romney in Michigan. Michigan is one of Romney's 'home states,' his father ran for governor there, and he scored a big win there in 2008. However, he had written an Op-ed piece during the Detroit bailout that argued that American automotive manufacturing ought to be allowed to fail. Combined with Santorum's support of manufacturing, he says that manufacturing should be immune from taxes, Michigan becomes a state ripe for Santorum's taking. If Romney loses in Michigan it may be his death knell. His campaign has survived on a combination of inevitability and money, as opposed to voter sentiment. As the veneer of his inevitability is stripped away, voters are fleeing from his campaign.
Of course the long knives have started to come out against Santorum. A link on today's Drudge Report links to an article called Time to Take Down Santorum's Disguise. The article is simply a list of all of Santorum's supposed crimes against conservatism. It's an incredibly lengthy list and can be accessed here: http://www.dailypaul.com/213706/time-to-take-down-santorums-disguise. In Santorum's defense, a lot of his anti-conservative votes were during the Bush era, and he was merely being a good party stooge. As I said last Friday, to think that any of these candidates isn't sufficiently conservative is ludicrous, all of the remaining candidates are extremists. The Republican's demand for ideological purity may well imperil their chances in November, and they risk becoming a more marginalized party if they can't accept some variety amongst their base.
Santorum's win in Iowa provided him with a big boost, but he wasn't yet a major candidate. However, the win allowed him to stick around in the race while other also-rans fled from the race like rats on a sinking ship. He weathered Newt Gingrich's calls to withdraw, and when the race shrank to 4 candidates, Santorum began to seem more attractive. In another blog I compared Romney and Gingrich to Twain's Duke and Dauphain. In contrast, Santorum and Ron Paul came off as beacons of honesty and integrity. While you can bash the media for ignoring Dr. Paul, his politics are simply too divergent from the mainstream of the Republican Party for him to ever become the nominee.
And thus, Santorum became more and more attractive. He began scoring points in the debates, and started to gain traction. Following his big wins in last Tuesday's contests, he raised a bunch of money, and he became the proverbial Anti-Romney. A series of recent polls show that his ascendence might be for real. A number of polls show him with a slight lead over Romney nationally, and more jarringly for the Romney campaign, some polls show him leading Romney in Michigan. Michigan is one of Romney's 'home states,' his father ran for governor there, and he scored a big win there in 2008. However, he had written an Op-ed piece during the Detroit bailout that argued that American automotive manufacturing ought to be allowed to fail. Combined with Santorum's support of manufacturing, he says that manufacturing should be immune from taxes, Michigan becomes a state ripe for Santorum's taking. If Romney loses in Michigan it may be his death knell. His campaign has survived on a combination of inevitability and money, as opposed to voter sentiment. As the veneer of his inevitability is stripped away, voters are fleeing from his campaign.
Of course the long knives have started to come out against Santorum. A link on today's Drudge Report links to an article called Time to Take Down Santorum's Disguise. The article is simply a list of all of Santorum's supposed crimes against conservatism. It's an incredibly lengthy list and can be accessed here: http://www.dailypaul.com/213706/time-to-take-down-santorums-disguise. In Santorum's defense, a lot of his anti-conservative votes were during the Bush era, and he was merely being a good party stooge. As I said last Friday, to think that any of these candidates isn't sufficiently conservative is ludicrous, all of the remaining candidates are extremists. The Republican's demand for ideological purity may well imperil their chances in November, and they risk becoming a more marginalized party if they can't accept some variety amongst their base.
Monday, February 13, 2012
More on Lin
I've been very careful in this forum to avoid jinxing Jeremy Lin. All the praise I've leveled his way has had the caveat that this may all be an aberration. A bout of temporary success that would be untenable moving forward. This weekend Lin went a long way to proving me wrong. On Friday night, Lin torched the Lakers for 38, leading the rag tag Knicks to a dominant victory over the Lakers. On Satuday, he led the Knicks to a comeback win, scoring 20 points, dishing out 8 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds. In the 5 games since he's become a centerpiece of the Knicks lineup. He's averaging 26.8 points, 8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2 steals. For his effort he won Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
My posts on Tuesday and Thursday illustrate my, and New York City's, growing love affair with the man now known as "Linsanity." On Friday night, Lin was introduced on the national stage with an absolutely stunning performance televised nationally on ESPN. The Madison Square Garden faithful was electric, cheering his every move. As I'd previously written, the Lakers were a good matchup for Lin because their point guard, Derek Fisher, is a poor defender. At one point Lin and Kobe Bryant traded a couple of baskets, and it was clear that they were equals, at least for the night. Through the whole game Lin was able to penetrate to the hoop with ease and make some long jumpers. The national announcers could barely contain their excitement as Lin's point total climbed higher and higher.
Though Lin had arguably his worst game on Saturday, it was perhaps the best win they've had during his tenure. Lin shot a horrific 1-13 in the second half, but his teammates stepped and the Knicks got a comeback victory. For the game Lin had a solid 20 points and 8 assists, but shot only 8-24. Lin faced perhaps the toughest challenge of his year thus far in the scrappy Spanish rookie Ricky Rubio. Rubio is a sensation in his own right, with his boyish looks belying an advanced knowledge of the game. For what it's worth, Lin held Rubio to 5-15 shooting. The Knicks were down 7 points with about 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter, but used stifling defense to eke out a victory. The Timberwolves only scored 11 points in the 4th and Jared Jeffries forced a key turnover with 4 seconds left to essentially seal the game.
Amar'e Stoudemire returns from his personal leave on Tuesday as the Knicks take on the Raptors. It remains to be seen how Amar'e will fit into the offense, but Knicks fans ought to be tantalized by the thought of him running a pick and roll with Lin. in has raised Tyson Chandler's game and should remake Amar'e into the force he was early in his Knicks career.
Or perhaps the Lin era is ending. Maybe opposing coaches saw something in the video tape of Lin's 1-13 performance, and will now be able to limit his effectiveness. In New York, Lin is already an icon. Even if he never regains the fine form of his first 4 starts, it will be a lasting memory for Knicks fans. It was a heady time. The Knicks appeared on the brink of another decade of losing basketball. Their talent was hamstrung by stubborn superstars and coaches and, most importantly a lack of a point guard to run the show. For one week, at least, we found our point guard and he made Knick fans believe again. Lin has exorcized the demons that haunted the Garden. Lin, perhaps because of his antithetical dichotomy between his skill and his ethnicity has been one of the most fun players to root for in the history of my fandom, and it seems many agree. Lin has been a revelation and I eagerly await the next spate of games, which should give us a clearer picture of just how good this guy is.
My posts on Tuesday and Thursday illustrate my, and New York City's, growing love affair with the man now known as "Linsanity." On Friday night, Lin was introduced on the national stage with an absolutely stunning performance televised nationally on ESPN. The Madison Square Garden faithful was electric, cheering his every move. As I'd previously written, the Lakers were a good matchup for Lin because their point guard, Derek Fisher, is a poor defender. At one point Lin and Kobe Bryant traded a couple of baskets, and it was clear that they were equals, at least for the night. Through the whole game Lin was able to penetrate to the hoop with ease and make some long jumpers. The national announcers could barely contain their excitement as Lin's point total climbed higher and higher.
Though Lin had arguably his worst game on Saturday, it was perhaps the best win they've had during his tenure. Lin shot a horrific 1-13 in the second half, but his teammates stepped and the Knicks got a comeback victory. For the game Lin had a solid 20 points and 8 assists, but shot only 8-24. Lin faced perhaps the toughest challenge of his year thus far in the scrappy Spanish rookie Ricky Rubio. Rubio is a sensation in his own right, with his boyish looks belying an advanced knowledge of the game. For what it's worth, Lin held Rubio to 5-15 shooting. The Knicks were down 7 points with about 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter, but used stifling defense to eke out a victory. The Timberwolves only scored 11 points in the 4th and Jared Jeffries forced a key turnover with 4 seconds left to essentially seal the game.
Amar'e Stoudemire returns from his personal leave on Tuesday as the Knicks take on the Raptors. It remains to be seen how Amar'e will fit into the offense, but Knicks fans ought to be tantalized by the thought of him running a pick and roll with Lin. in has raised Tyson Chandler's game and should remake Amar'e into the force he was early in his Knicks career.
Or perhaps the Lin era is ending. Maybe opposing coaches saw something in the video tape of Lin's 1-13 performance, and will now be able to limit his effectiveness. In New York, Lin is already an icon. Even if he never regains the fine form of his first 4 starts, it will be a lasting memory for Knicks fans. It was a heady time. The Knicks appeared on the brink of another decade of losing basketball. Their talent was hamstrung by stubborn superstars and coaches and, most importantly a lack of a point guard to run the show. For one week, at least, we found our point guard and he made Knick fans believe again. Lin has exorcized the demons that haunted the Garden. Lin, perhaps because of his antithetical dichotomy between his skill and his ethnicity has been one of the most fun players to root for in the history of my fandom, and it seems many agree. Lin has been a revelation and I eagerly await the next spate of games, which should give us a clearer picture of just how good this guy is.
Friday, February 10, 2012
CPAC and the Attacks on Romney's Conservatism
Only have time for a short post, because like Mr. Smith I'm taking my talents to Washington. I'll be appearing at CPAC, where presumably I will become the Republican frontrunner.
In 2008 Mitt Romney went to CPAC as the conservative alternative to John McCain. He bowed out and the party began to coalesce around Mr. McCain. It says all you need to know about the 2012 Republican campaign that the last conservative alternative is now the milquetoast moderate. It's conventional wisdom that the three candidates besides Mr. Romney are running to his right, but that perception seems slightly askew. In his rhetoric Mr. Romney normally offers equally or more conservative positions on all the issues as the rest of the field. It seems to me that the other candidates are running as the none disingenuous, articulate, and relatable alternative to Romney. The candidates attack his conservatism, specifically they point to Romneycare and his various flipflops, but what they are really attacking is his integrity. It seems ridiculous to think that Romney is some sort of Manchurian candidate, laying in wait to unleash his radical leftist ideology on America, and I don't think the rest of the Republican field believes that. They use an attack on his conservative identity to attack his personality. With all of this talk of political PACS, I'm reminded of 2pac, because these candidates seem desperate to assert their conservative 'street cred'.
The candidates have come out swinging thus far at the conference as the tenor of the race devolves into ad hominem attacks. Saturday marks the completion of the Maine Caucus which is projected to go well for Mr. Paul and Mr. Romney. After that the next couple of races aren't until the 28th and because they are supposedly solidly in Mr. Romney's camp they shouldn't have a clarifying effect on the state of the race. The forecast calls for stormy weather in the Republican field until Super Tuesday, March 6th, at the earliest. If this was Groundhog's day Punxatawny Phil wouldn't have seen his shadow, or perhaps he would've because I can't recall off top which signifies more inclement weather.
In 2008 Mitt Romney went to CPAC as the conservative alternative to John McCain. He bowed out and the party began to coalesce around Mr. McCain. It says all you need to know about the 2012 Republican campaign that the last conservative alternative is now the milquetoast moderate. It's conventional wisdom that the three candidates besides Mr. Romney are running to his right, but that perception seems slightly askew. In his rhetoric Mr. Romney normally offers equally or more conservative positions on all the issues as the rest of the field. It seems to me that the other candidates are running as the none disingenuous, articulate, and relatable alternative to Romney. The candidates attack his conservatism, specifically they point to Romneycare and his various flipflops, but what they are really attacking is his integrity. It seems ridiculous to think that Romney is some sort of Manchurian candidate, laying in wait to unleash his radical leftist ideology on America, and I don't think the rest of the Republican field believes that. They use an attack on his conservative identity to attack his personality. With all of this talk of political PACS, I'm reminded of 2pac, because these candidates seem desperate to assert their conservative 'street cred'.
The candidates have come out swinging thus far at the conference as the tenor of the race devolves into ad hominem attacks. Saturday marks the completion of the Maine Caucus which is projected to go well for Mr. Paul and Mr. Romney. After that the next couple of races aren't until the 28th and because they are supposedly solidly in Mr. Romney's camp they shouldn't have a clarifying effect on the state of the race. The forecast calls for stormy weather in the Republican field until Super Tuesday, March 6th, at the earliest. If this was Groundhog's day Punxatawny Phil wouldn't have seen his shadow, or perhaps he would've because I can't recall off top which signifies more inclement weather.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Lin and Sports Fandom
Well the Jeremy Lin circus continues. Last night he had another 20+ point night and added 10 assists for good measure. Lin is now a full fledged sensation, he was featured in a front page article on the New York Times and the Knicks sent me a Spam email letting me know that I could pre-order a Jeremy Lin jersey. Whether Lin is a flash in the pan or the real deal remains to be seen, but at least for this week Lin has brought hope back to disconsolate Knicks fans.
There is a fairly famous Noam Chomksy quote in which he eviscerates sports fandom. To wit: "Take, say, sports -- that's another crucial example of the indoctrination system, in my view. For one thing because it -- you know, it offers people something to pay attention to that's of no importance. That keeps them from worrying about -- keeps them from worrying about things that matter to their lives that they might have some idea of doing something about. And in fact it's striking to see the intelligence that's used by ordinary people in [discussions of] sports [as opposed to political and social issues]. I mean, you listen to radio stations where people call in -- they have the most exotic information and understanding about all kind of arcane issues. And the press undoubtedly does a lot with this."
Basically Chomsky says that people who are disaffected by political issues misplace their passion and intellect onto sports. Chomsky's certainly got a point, if you read any sports blog you'll find a myriad of well informed, passionate, and articulate people discussing such inanities as Jeff Francouer's OBP or whether or not Shonn Greene is an every down Running Back. Certainly, if people paid as much attention to America's foreign entanglements or economic situation the level of political discourse in the country would be more substantial, and the critical mass could affect change. But people have been convinced that their ideas about politics don't matter and can't change the fundamental political reality, and instead they place their interest into the spectacle that is sports.
It's a tale as old as time, the Romans offered their citizens a diet of "bread and circuses" to keep them distracted from the crumbling empire, and it's hard to argue, especially after the orgy of consumption and violence that was the Super Bowl, that our reality is any different. I've often thought to myself that people are drawn to sports because of its objective fairness. If you do something the right way in sports you are generally rewarded with a goal or a point or what have you. It's a meritocracy. It's an even playing field and rules are supposed to be enforced equally, in contrast to modern life sports is a beacon of fairness.
But the other thing people love about sports is the visceral thrill. Whether it be momentary, like last nights buzzer beater by Duke or more ongoing like Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow's success, sports has an electric quality, it imparts an intangible feeling of excitement and happiness. Long term sports fandom is fundamentally meaningless, but in short bursts the excitement sports can provide is very real.
In less than a week Jeremy Lin has galvanized a city, become an ethnic hero, and saved a sports franchise that was on the brink. Lin has had running mates, Steve Novak continues his clutch shooting, Iman Shumpert has improved since switching back to his natural position, and Jared Jeffries continues to be a goofy player who's shortcomings make him more fun to root for. The underdog is insanely fun to root for, there is nothing like watching someone overcome impossible odds, it's been true since David slew Goliath. Oh to have been a spectator when that man brought down a great beast with a mere slingshot, you probably could have made a lot of money that day if there were any bookies in Israel.
There is a fairly famous Noam Chomksy quote in which he eviscerates sports fandom. To wit: "Take, say, sports -- that's another crucial example of the indoctrination system, in my view. For one thing because it -- you know, it offers people something to pay attention to that's of no importance. That keeps them from worrying about -- keeps them from worrying about things that matter to their lives that they might have some idea of doing something about. And in fact it's striking to see the intelligence that's used by ordinary people in [discussions of] sports [as opposed to political and social issues]. I mean, you listen to radio stations where people call in -- they have the most exotic information and understanding about all kind of arcane issues. And the press undoubtedly does a lot with this."
Basically Chomsky says that people who are disaffected by political issues misplace their passion and intellect onto sports. Chomsky's certainly got a point, if you read any sports blog you'll find a myriad of well informed, passionate, and articulate people discussing such inanities as Jeff Francouer's OBP or whether or not Shonn Greene is an every down Running Back. Certainly, if people paid as much attention to America's foreign entanglements or economic situation the level of political discourse in the country would be more substantial, and the critical mass could affect change. But people have been convinced that their ideas about politics don't matter and can't change the fundamental political reality, and instead they place their interest into the spectacle that is sports.
It's a tale as old as time, the Romans offered their citizens a diet of "bread and circuses" to keep them distracted from the crumbling empire, and it's hard to argue, especially after the orgy of consumption and violence that was the Super Bowl, that our reality is any different. I've often thought to myself that people are drawn to sports because of its objective fairness. If you do something the right way in sports you are generally rewarded with a goal or a point or what have you. It's a meritocracy. It's an even playing field and rules are supposed to be enforced equally, in contrast to modern life sports is a beacon of fairness.
But the other thing people love about sports is the visceral thrill. Whether it be momentary, like last nights buzzer beater by Duke or more ongoing like Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow's success, sports has an electric quality, it imparts an intangible feeling of excitement and happiness. Long term sports fandom is fundamentally meaningless, but in short bursts the excitement sports can provide is very real.
In less than a week Jeremy Lin has galvanized a city, become an ethnic hero, and saved a sports franchise that was on the brink. Lin has had running mates, Steve Novak continues his clutch shooting, Iman Shumpert has improved since switching back to his natural position, and Jared Jeffries continues to be a goofy player who's shortcomings make him more fun to root for. The underdog is insanely fun to root for, there is nothing like watching someone overcome impossible odds, it's been true since David slew Goliath. Oh to have been a spectator when that man brought down a great beast with a mere slingshot, you probably could have made a lot of money that day if there were any bookies in Israel.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Santorum Surges; Romney Relapses
The following post appeared on The Faster Times earlier today. I'd just like to add a small addendum; I think I've finally figured out the key to Mitt's weakness. In his concession speech last night, with the Colorado count still in question Mitt said something to the effect of "I think we will come in 1st or 2nd when all the votes are in." It's this kind of equivocation that illustrates his weakness, Republicans want someone with balls who doesn't let harsh facts get in the way of portraying a happy message. Think back to Ronald Reagan, who in response to being caught in a lie said "My heart and my best intentions tell me that’s true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not." This is the kind of thing Republicans eat up, Romney should've just declared victory in Colorado and tried to spin the night in a positive way.
Now on to our regularly scheduled broadcast:
Last night, Rick Santorum pulled off a fairly surprising sweep in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri. Santorum built momentum in the previous week following Mitt Romney’s gaffe about the very poor and Newt Gingrich’s bizarre ramblings. Romney’s misstep, besides playing poorly with Democrats and Independents, also angered Conservatives. Sensitive to the charge that they don’t care about the poor, Conservatives don’t want to cede ground to Democrats. Moreover, Romney’s assertion that the poor have a safety net sounded like nails on a chalkboard; Republicans instead want to hear a stirring defense of Conservatism and Capitalism. They want to hear that their economic policies will lift up every American and not allow some folks to stay on the public dole. Romney’s statement further alienated Conservatives who just don’t believe that he’s one of them. His inability to articulate the conservative economic message is a lasting issue and may doom his chances, whether in the Primary or the General.
Also aiding Santorum were last week’s high profile battles over social values. The Planned Parenthood decision by the Komen Foundation and the ruling that Catholic hospitals were required to provide contraception restoked the flames of long burning values wars. These issues are Santorum’s bread and butter and he’s able to connect with voters and tap into their resentment. Romney, and Gingrich to a lesser extent, just aren’t able to speak with the same forcefulness on these issues as Santorum.
Of Santorum’s three wins last night, Missouri is the least important. Because of a strange quirk, Missouri’s primary was essentially a glorified poll and delegates will actually be chosen in a mid-March caucus. Santorum had figured that Missouri could be his for the taking; it has a strong evangelical base, Newt Gingrich was absent from the ballot, and Romney wasn’t dedicating many resources to winning it. Still, Santorum’s win had some significance. While turnout was way below 2008 numbers, roughly 250,000 people went to the polls. Santorum had a dominant win, doubling up Romney, while passing the elusive 50% barrier. A meaningless primary means that only the diehards will turnout, a fact that favored Santorum. Social values voters flocked to the polls and gave him a big win.
Santorum had a more meaningful win in Minnesota. Minnesota was seen as a tossup going into it and polls predicted a modest Santorum win. Instead, he cruised to victory, finishing 18% in front of Ron Paul. Minnesota’s Republican party is made up of Christian conservatives, such as Michelle Bachmann, and Libertarians. Despite the lack of his ideal conservative voter and Minnesota’s history of picking outsiders (Jesse Ventura won the governorship as an Independent in 1998), Romney still had high hopes. He was endorsed by his former opponent, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and he had scored a big win there in 2008. Instead, he finished a weak 3rd behind Santorum and Dr. Paul. Romney saw his real vote total drop by about 17,000 votes and his share of the vote drop by about 25%. This is where last night’s results get especially troubling for Romney. If he was able to have such success in the state as John McCain was sailing to the nomination, how can he explain his precipitous drop? An oft quoted number in this election cycle has been that 54% of voters say that the more they get to know Romney, the less they like him. In Minnesota we see proof positive of that fact.
In Colorado we see evidence of the same. Colorado was supposed to be in the bag for Romney last night. Polls predicted a nine point Romney win and instead he lost by 5%, a sharp decline from his 2008 success. In 2008 Romney won 60% of the vote. Last night he won just 35% and saw his vote total drop by about 20,000 real votes. Colorado was the biggest upset last night and it should really trouble the Romney campaign. Despite the facts that Colorado has a substantial Christian Conservative edge (Focus on the Family is headquartered there), it was still supposed to be in Romney’s western wheelhouse. The fact that voters are essentially fleeing the Romney camp cannot bode well for the sense of inevitably his campaign has been advancing.
Let’s get this point out of the way, Newt Gingrich is done. Gingrich’s strength lay in his ability to rage against Democratic strawmen and the fact that he’s not Mitt Romney. Well, it appears Republicans have decided that being not Newt Gingrich is almost as big a virtue as being not Mitt Romney. With Ron Paul appealing only to a very specific sector of the party, it is now a very good time to be Rick Santorum.
But how potentially strong is Santorum? Many in the east coast elite circles I run in see Santorum as a joke. He’s known for his gay bashing and the eponymous scatological phrase it has spawned. But he has an ability to connect with voters; he was able to win a senatorial campaign in Pennsylvania in 2000 as the state was voting for Al Gore. When Santorum speaks he sounds earnest, a sharp contrast to both Romney and Gingrich. Also, Santorum may be more moderate than many like to admit. He comes from the George Bush school of “compassionate conservatism” and that will play better with many voters than Romney who brags about not caring about the poor.
Still, the name of the game is money and Santorum doesn’t have enough, yet. It’s a testament to his political skill that he’s made it this far, winning four of the first eight Republican races, while getting outspent ten to one by Romney and more marginally, yet still significantly, by Paul and Gingrich. Perhaps his big night will inspire more donations as social conservatives are a community that is willing to give. After his Iowa win, I compared Santorum to Tim Tebow, and just like Tebow, Santorum has managed to string together a couple surprising wins.
And what of Mr. Romney? Mitt had a terrible night, made worse by the fact that he was attacked by a would be “glitter” bomber who was stopped by Mitt’s Secret Service detail. There is something poetic about the fact that Romney has a security detail. He has all the accoutrements of a successful candidate — the looks, the money, the security detail — and yet he has none of the successes. Romney should be very scared by the fact that his real vote totals are evaporating in states where he’s had prior success.
The Republican attitude seems to be a pox on both their houses. Conservative Blogger Erick Erickson endorsed “The Sweet Meteor of Death” for president, and seems to be openly pining for a brokered convention. Turnout was way down in all three contests, which is not the sign of a party enthusiastic about any of their choices. Republicans love to point to the Democratic battle of 2008 as reason why a long process is not fatal. But in 2008 the Democrats saw turnout increase, while the Republicans see turnout plunging. It seems like we’re in it for the long haul. At this point I wouldn’t be stunned to see all four candidates take the battle to the convention. All the while, President Obama is surely sitting in the White House thanking his Kenyan Muslim God that he won’t have to run against a tough challenger. All four candidates have significant liabilities and shouldn’t pose too serious a threat to him in November.
Now on to our regularly scheduled broadcast:
Last night, Rick Santorum pulled off a fairly surprising sweep in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri. Santorum built momentum in the previous week following Mitt Romney’s gaffe about the very poor and Newt Gingrich’s bizarre ramblings. Romney’s misstep, besides playing poorly with Democrats and Independents, also angered Conservatives. Sensitive to the charge that they don’t care about the poor, Conservatives don’t want to cede ground to Democrats. Moreover, Romney’s assertion that the poor have a safety net sounded like nails on a chalkboard; Republicans instead want to hear a stirring defense of Conservatism and Capitalism. They want to hear that their economic policies will lift up every American and not allow some folks to stay on the public dole. Romney’s statement further alienated Conservatives who just don’t believe that he’s one of them. His inability to articulate the conservative economic message is a lasting issue and may doom his chances, whether in the Primary or the General.
Also aiding Santorum were last week’s high profile battles over social values. The Planned Parenthood decision by the Komen Foundation and the ruling that Catholic hospitals were required to provide contraception restoked the flames of long burning values wars. These issues are Santorum’s bread and butter and he’s able to connect with voters and tap into their resentment. Romney, and Gingrich to a lesser extent, just aren’t able to speak with the same forcefulness on these issues as Santorum.
Of Santorum’s three wins last night, Missouri is the least important. Because of a strange quirk, Missouri’s primary was essentially a glorified poll and delegates will actually be chosen in a mid-March caucus. Santorum had figured that Missouri could be his for the taking; it has a strong evangelical base, Newt Gingrich was absent from the ballot, and Romney wasn’t dedicating many resources to winning it. Still, Santorum’s win had some significance. While turnout was way below 2008 numbers, roughly 250,000 people went to the polls. Santorum had a dominant win, doubling up Romney, while passing the elusive 50% barrier. A meaningless primary means that only the diehards will turnout, a fact that favored Santorum. Social values voters flocked to the polls and gave him a big win.
Santorum had a more meaningful win in Minnesota. Minnesota was seen as a tossup going into it and polls predicted a modest Santorum win. Instead, he cruised to victory, finishing 18% in front of Ron Paul. Minnesota’s Republican party is made up of Christian conservatives, such as Michelle Bachmann, and Libertarians. Despite the lack of his ideal conservative voter and Minnesota’s history of picking outsiders (Jesse Ventura won the governorship as an Independent in 1998), Romney still had high hopes. He was endorsed by his former opponent, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and he had scored a big win there in 2008. Instead, he finished a weak 3rd behind Santorum and Dr. Paul. Romney saw his real vote total drop by about 17,000 votes and his share of the vote drop by about 25%. This is where last night’s results get especially troubling for Romney. If he was able to have such success in the state as John McCain was sailing to the nomination, how can he explain his precipitous drop? An oft quoted number in this election cycle has been that 54% of voters say that the more they get to know Romney, the less they like him. In Minnesota we see proof positive of that fact.
In Colorado we see evidence of the same. Colorado was supposed to be in the bag for Romney last night. Polls predicted a nine point Romney win and instead he lost by 5%, a sharp decline from his 2008 success. In 2008 Romney won 60% of the vote. Last night he won just 35% and saw his vote total drop by about 20,000 real votes. Colorado was the biggest upset last night and it should really trouble the Romney campaign. Despite the facts that Colorado has a substantial Christian Conservative edge (Focus on the Family is headquartered there), it was still supposed to be in Romney’s western wheelhouse. The fact that voters are essentially fleeing the Romney camp cannot bode well for the sense of inevitably his campaign has been advancing.
Let’s get this point out of the way, Newt Gingrich is done. Gingrich’s strength lay in his ability to rage against Democratic strawmen and the fact that he’s not Mitt Romney. Well, it appears Republicans have decided that being not Newt Gingrich is almost as big a virtue as being not Mitt Romney. With Ron Paul appealing only to a very specific sector of the party, it is now a very good time to be Rick Santorum.
But how potentially strong is Santorum? Many in the east coast elite circles I run in see Santorum as a joke. He’s known for his gay bashing and the eponymous scatological phrase it has spawned. But he has an ability to connect with voters; he was able to win a senatorial campaign in Pennsylvania in 2000 as the state was voting for Al Gore. When Santorum speaks he sounds earnest, a sharp contrast to both Romney and Gingrich. Also, Santorum may be more moderate than many like to admit. He comes from the George Bush school of “compassionate conservatism” and that will play better with many voters than Romney who brags about not caring about the poor.
Still, the name of the game is money and Santorum doesn’t have enough, yet. It’s a testament to his political skill that he’s made it this far, winning four of the first eight Republican races, while getting outspent ten to one by Romney and more marginally, yet still significantly, by Paul and Gingrich. Perhaps his big night will inspire more donations as social conservatives are a community that is willing to give. After his Iowa win, I compared Santorum to Tim Tebow, and just like Tebow, Santorum has managed to string together a couple surprising wins.
And what of Mr. Romney? Mitt had a terrible night, made worse by the fact that he was attacked by a would be “glitter” bomber who was stopped by Mitt’s Secret Service detail. There is something poetic about the fact that Romney has a security detail. He has all the accoutrements of a successful candidate — the looks, the money, the security detail — and yet he has none of the successes. Romney should be very scared by the fact that his real vote totals are evaporating in states where he’s had prior success.
The Republican attitude seems to be a pox on both their houses. Conservative Blogger Erick Erickson endorsed “The Sweet Meteor of Death” for president, and seems to be openly pining for a brokered convention. Turnout was way down in all three contests, which is not the sign of a party enthusiastic about any of their choices. Republicans love to point to the Democratic battle of 2008 as reason why a long process is not fatal. But in 2008 the Democrats saw turnout increase, while the Republicans see turnout plunging. It seems like we’re in it for the long haul. At this point I wouldn’t be stunned to see all four candidates take the battle to the convention. All the while, President Obama is surely sitting in the White House thanking his Kenyan Muslim God that he won’t have to run against a tough challenger. All four candidates have significant liabilities and shouldn’t pose too serious a threat to him in November.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Lin Brings Excitement Back to the Garden
In previous articles about the Knicks I've indicated that my displeasure with this year's team was not due to their lack of success, but with the disconnect between their ability and the results. The Knicks were losing in spite of the presence of two self proclaimed superstars. Both Amare and Carmelo have a tendency towards being ballhogs, and nothing is more singularly frustrating then watching the team standing around waiting for the stars to take a bad shot. Last night, with Amare grieving the death of his brother and Carmelo getting injured in the opening minutes, team basketball returned to the Garden.
The story of last night was the second straight strong performance by Jeremy Lin. Lin is an outlier in the NBA, he's the first Asian American in the league and he's also an undrafted free agent out of Harvard. He is the ultimate underdog, a player who struggled to find a college scholarship and has defied expectations throughout his entire career. Before Saturday's game, Lin had never scored more than 13 points in game, but he's scored more than 20 in the two games since. Lin has only recently found his way into the rotation. D'antoni turned him out of a sense of desperation, the point guard play has been atrocious the entire year. With the calls for D'antoni's head growing, he needed to find some alternative and thus Lin got recalled from the D-League and pressed into service.
Somehow this kid, who's been an afterthought his whole career, a sideshow based on his transcendence of ethnic stereotypes, has galvanized the Knicks and brought hope back into the Garden. Lin has been impressive, running the pick and roll with aplomb and shredding defenses, getting to the rim with ease. His play has had a palpable effect on the Knicks offense. Whether that's due to his skill, his presence as a true Point Guard, or the absence of ballhogging superstars, remains to be seen. Let's not get ahead of ourselves folks, I can recall Frank Williams stringing together some quality games, and he was out of the league within a year. Lee Nailon also had moments of brilliance. The league is riddled with players who've strung together two good games and never replicated the success. Once video tape of Lin's game becomes available, opposing coaches will formulate plans to counteract his game. Lin will likely regress in coming games, but these last two games have been so exciting. Even if Lin winds up back in the D-League, I don't think any Knick fan will forget the emotional lift he's brought in the last few days. Lin cleared away all the bad karma the team accrued, and brought back a scrappiness that has been missing all year.
Besides Lin, it was the odd couple of Steve Novak and Jared Jeffries that led the Knicks last night. Both Novak and Jeffries are singular talents in the NBA, there are no other players that offer their skill sets. This isn't necessarily a complimentary appraisal, both have some shocking weaknesses in their games. But both are in the NBA for a reason. Jeffries is a man who often draws laughter from the Garden faithful for his lack of grace when dribbling, his inability to shoot the basketball, his stringbean figure, and his utter lack of hands. Still he is an effective defender, a man who can guard most positions on the floor, uses his length to steal and rebound, and is willing to take a charge. Taking a charge is an underrated play in basketball, it involves sacrificing your body for the good of the team. For a team that's showed a jarring lack of heart for the whole year, Jeffries', who took 5 charges last night, willingness to take a charge has had a catalytic effect.
Steve Novak may well be the least athletic player in the league. He is a throwback to a the 1950s, when unathletic white guys dominated the league with set shots. Like Jeffries and Lin, Novak looks out of place on an NBA floor. But he is a uniquely good shooter. In an offense like Mike D'antoni's which relies on spreading the floor with shooters, his lack of playing time has drawn some fans ire. Last night Novak made 5 of 8 3 pointers. Novak has a long history of being a dead eye shooter so there is hope that his hot play will continue.
Now the question becomes how can the Knicks reincorporate their stars. The team the Knicks trotted out yesterday was probably no more talented than some elite college teams, and yet they played better basketball than I've seen all year. Theoretically, the talents of Melo and Amare should aid the team, but if they get away from the team basketball that has been successful for them in recent games we can expect a disappointing return to form. Hopefully both take a long hard look at themselves and try and adjust their games accordingly. They ought to realize that if this team of misfits, a veritable bad news Bears, can win games, there is no reason for the lack of success with the team at full strength.
The story of last night was the second straight strong performance by Jeremy Lin. Lin is an outlier in the NBA, he's the first Asian American in the league and he's also an undrafted free agent out of Harvard. He is the ultimate underdog, a player who struggled to find a college scholarship and has defied expectations throughout his entire career. Before Saturday's game, Lin had never scored more than 13 points in game, but he's scored more than 20 in the two games since. Lin has only recently found his way into the rotation. D'antoni turned him out of a sense of desperation, the point guard play has been atrocious the entire year. With the calls for D'antoni's head growing, he needed to find some alternative and thus Lin got recalled from the D-League and pressed into service.
Somehow this kid, who's been an afterthought his whole career, a sideshow based on his transcendence of ethnic stereotypes, has galvanized the Knicks and brought hope back into the Garden. Lin has been impressive, running the pick and roll with aplomb and shredding defenses, getting to the rim with ease. His play has had a palpable effect on the Knicks offense. Whether that's due to his skill, his presence as a true Point Guard, or the absence of ballhogging superstars, remains to be seen. Let's not get ahead of ourselves folks, I can recall Frank Williams stringing together some quality games, and he was out of the league within a year. Lee Nailon also had moments of brilliance. The league is riddled with players who've strung together two good games and never replicated the success. Once video tape of Lin's game becomes available, opposing coaches will formulate plans to counteract his game. Lin will likely regress in coming games, but these last two games have been so exciting. Even if Lin winds up back in the D-League, I don't think any Knick fan will forget the emotional lift he's brought in the last few days. Lin cleared away all the bad karma the team accrued, and brought back a scrappiness that has been missing all year.
Besides Lin, it was the odd couple of Steve Novak and Jared Jeffries that led the Knicks last night. Both Novak and Jeffries are singular talents in the NBA, there are no other players that offer their skill sets. This isn't necessarily a complimentary appraisal, both have some shocking weaknesses in their games. But both are in the NBA for a reason. Jeffries is a man who often draws laughter from the Garden faithful for his lack of grace when dribbling, his inability to shoot the basketball, his stringbean figure, and his utter lack of hands. Still he is an effective defender, a man who can guard most positions on the floor, uses his length to steal and rebound, and is willing to take a charge. Taking a charge is an underrated play in basketball, it involves sacrificing your body for the good of the team. For a team that's showed a jarring lack of heart for the whole year, Jeffries', who took 5 charges last night, willingness to take a charge has had a catalytic effect.
Steve Novak may well be the least athletic player in the league. He is a throwback to a the 1950s, when unathletic white guys dominated the league with set shots. Like Jeffries and Lin, Novak looks out of place on an NBA floor. But he is a uniquely good shooter. In an offense like Mike D'antoni's which relies on spreading the floor with shooters, his lack of playing time has drawn some fans ire. Last night Novak made 5 of 8 3 pointers. Novak has a long history of being a dead eye shooter so there is hope that his hot play will continue.
Now the question becomes how can the Knicks reincorporate their stars. The team the Knicks trotted out yesterday was probably no more talented than some elite college teams, and yet they played better basketball than I've seen all year. Theoretically, the talents of Melo and Amare should aid the team, but if they get away from the team basketball that has been successful for them in recent games we can expect a disappointing return to form. Hopefully both take a long hard look at themselves and try and adjust their games accordingly. They ought to realize that if this team of misfits, a veritable bad news Bears, can win games, there is no reason for the lack of success with the team at full strength.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Super Bowl Preview and Other Thoughts
Let's start today by mentioning the news that the Susan G. Komen Foundation has retracted it's plan to end its funding of Planned Parenthood. The decision had set the social realms of the internet abuzz, with many decrying the hypocrisy of the Komen Foundation. Planned Parenthood provides a great deal of health services for women besides its family planning aspect, including mammograms. The internet makes it easy for people to express their displeasure about something to the offending party. In the analog era only a few diehards would protest in person at the Komen headquarters, but now opposition spreads like wildfire across the social media spheres. The vast outpouring makes it much harder for institutions to justify their actions, they can't argue that protests don't represent the public sentiment. For what it's worth, the Komen foundation's "breast cancer awareness month" has always made me a little uneasy. Not because I don't like when NFL teams incorporate pink into their uniforms and fields, which I do, but because I think the idea of segregating cancers in a gendered sense makes little sense when cancer is such a common unprejudiced scourge.
Speaking of the NFL, this weekend is the Super Bowl. At this point the Super Bowl is perhaps the quintessential American event. It's the most watched televised event, and it truly has become an experience. It's the only time on television when people get mad if you change the channel. The obsession over Super Bowl commercials is baffling to me. Granted there are often experimental and exciting ads during the game, but they're still commercials. They will be repeated ad nauseam so what difference does it make if you watch it's first airing. It's as if for one night a year everyone in America becomes an ad critic, judging the ads for their creativity and their ability to appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos. You'll notice that the third Greek word is logos, which meant logic and has somehow been transfered to our language to mean an emblem of a corporation. Logic has now become corporations, there is some large statement about modern consumerism that can be sussed out from that. But screw it, it's Super Bowl Sunday and I want to watch some football! I want to see an American flag the size of a football field and hear the scream of fighter jets over head, I want to hear the national anthem. Then I want to see men engage in a pugilistic battle. I know I'm being negative right now, but that's just because I'm bitter it's not my Jets playing.
Instead it's the Patriots and the Giants. For whatever reason I've never bared the ill will towards the Giants that I do for the Yankees. I root for the Giants, but I don't have that same die hard attachment. On the other hand I hate the Patriots. The Jets had the fortune of playing both these teams and my estimation was that neither was particularly good. The Giants were outplayed by the Jets and if not for a 99 yard touchdown catch and the offenses general ineptitude they could've won. The Patriots are always formidable, but this team didn't strike me with the fear that other iterations have.
It should be an exciting game. Both teams have prolific offenses and relatively weak defenses. The Giants defense is led by it's defensive linemen who are able to harass the quarterback on every play, but their defensive backfield is weak and they've been susceptible to a good passing attack all year. The Patriots defense is so undermanned that they use a wide receiver as their 3rd cornerback. Still Bill Belicheck is a defensive mastermind and is quite adapt at drawing up schemes that maximize the talent he has. The Giants have a slightly better running game, but the Patriots are effective running the ball when they use the no huddle. The Patriots exploit mismatches with their athletic tight ends, who are able to block for runs and stretch the field in passing situations. It should be a high scoring, exciting game, and I will be rooting hard for the Giants. I'm not in the business of making sports predictions but I'm feeling fairly optimistic. Giants 31 Patriots 27.
Speaking of the NFL, this weekend is the Super Bowl. At this point the Super Bowl is perhaps the quintessential American event. It's the most watched televised event, and it truly has become an experience. It's the only time on television when people get mad if you change the channel. The obsession over Super Bowl commercials is baffling to me. Granted there are often experimental and exciting ads during the game, but they're still commercials. They will be repeated ad nauseam so what difference does it make if you watch it's first airing. It's as if for one night a year everyone in America becomes an ad critic, judging the ads for their creativity and their ability to appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos. You'll notice that the third Greek word is logos, which meant logic and has somehow been transfered to our language to mean an emblem of a corporation. Logic has now become corporations, there is some large statement about modern consumerism that can be sussed out from that. But screw it, it's Super Bowl Sunday and I want to watch some football! I want to see an American flag the size of a football field and hear the scream of fighter jets over head, I want to hear the national anthem. Then I want to see men engage in a pugilistic battle. I know I'm being negative right now, but that's just because I'm bitter it's not my Jets playing.
Instead it's the Patriots and the Giants. For whatever reason I've never bared the ill will towards the Giants that I do for the Yankees. I root for the Giants, but I don't have that same die hard attachment. On the other hand I hate the Patriots. The Jets had the fortune of playing both these teams and my estimation was that neither was particularly good. The Giants were outplayed by the Jets and if not for a 99 yard touchdown catch and the offenses general ineptitude they could've won. The Patriots are always formidable, but this team didn't strike me with the fear that other iterations have.
It should be an exciting game. Both teams have prolific offenses and relatively weak defenses. The Giants defense is led by it's defensive linemen who are able to harass the quarterback on every play, but their defensive backfield is weak and they've been susceptible to a good passing attack all year. The Patriots defense is so undermanned that they use a wide receiver as their 3rd cornerback. Still Bill Belicheck is a defensive mastermind and is quite adapt at drawing up schemes that maximize the talent he has. The Giants have a slightly better running game, but the Patriots are effective running the ball when they use the no huddle. The Patriots exploit mismatches with their athletic tight ends, who are able to block for runs and stretch the field in passing situations. It should be a high scoring, exciting game, and I will be rooting hard for the Giants. I'm not in the business of making sports predictions but I'm feeling fairly optimistic. Giants 31 Patriots 27.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Trump Bump
There are plenty of nasty things one can say about Donald Trump, but you must applaud his tenacity for elbowing his way into the public narrative. With the latest season of the Celebrity Apprentice starting after the Super Bowl, the public relations machine kicked into gear and he decided it was time to endorse a candidate. How it came to be that Donald Trump is a respected political mind is unclear. Somehow he has become a fairly major player in the Republican process, despite the fact that he hasn't uttered a cogent political statement in his entire life. Trump's influence illustrates the perverse intersection of money, politics, and celebrity. Gingrich's entire campaign has essentially been funded by a Nevadan businessman named Shelly Aldeson. If one man's money can prop up an entire campaign why have a middleman? Adelson eschews the spotlight, and Trump embraces it, but both use their money to influence politics in similar ways.
Yesterday Drudge blared headlines that indicated that Trump would endorse Gingrich. In a surprising turn, today Trump endorsed Romney with the candidate on hand in Nevada. Trump knows how to back a winner, or more specifically, he knows how to get the heck away from a loser. Trump probably awoke to headlines proclaiming that Romney was in store for a big win in Saturday's Nevada caucus, and reneged on his pledge to Gingrich. If Trump can't pick a winner in the Republican Primary, how could he determine whether Lou Ferrigno or Clay Aiken is a better apprentice.
Trump said he wouldn't launch a third party bid if Romney was the nominee. This was probably a big part of his endorsement; there is nothing that scares him more than actually having to run for president. The media coverage is all good and fun when it's speculative, but once he made official the hounds would be all over him. One doesn't become a mega millionaire without some skeletons in their closet, just ask Mitt Romney. If you think Romney's tax returns were problematic, Trump's would probably inspire a collective suicide on the scale of Jonestown.
Saturday's primary promises to be a boring affair. Though Nevada is a state known for its debauchery, its Republican base is roughly 1/3 Mormon. It's a caucus state where Mitt's organization will help him carry the day. He won 51% in 08 at a time when his campaign was flailing and McCain was on his way to solidifying the nomination. Shelly Adelson will suffer a tough defeat in his backyard. Ron Paul got 14% in 08, so with better funding and organization he may well come in second. Santorum just received the endorsement of Tea Party favorite, and losing senatorial candidate, Sharon Angle, so there is some chance that Newt may find himself in fourth. Newt has pledged to go on to the convention so an expected loss in Saturday's primary will probably do little to deter him. As his campaign spirals further and further out of control, expect him to sharpen his attacks on Romney. The 2012 Republican primary has the potential to severely weaken Romney because of the shear meanness of the candidates. At least he has Trump's endorsement, and an assured spot on the 13th season of the Celebrity Apprentice, should this whole President thing not work out for him.
Yesterday Drudge blared headlines that indicated that Trump would endorse Gingrich. In a surprising turn, today Trump endorsed Romney with the candidate on hand in Nevada. Trump knows how to back a winner, or more specifically, he knows how to get the heck away from a loser. Trump probably awoke to headlines proclaiming that Romney was in store for a big win in Saturday's Nevada caucus, and reneged on his pledge to Gingrich. If Trump can't pick a winner in the Republican Primary, how could he determine whether Lou Ferrigno or Clay Aiken is a better apprentice.
Trump said he wouldn't launch a third party bid if Romney was the nominee. This was probably a big part of his endorsement; there is nothing that scares him more than actually having to run for president. The media coverage is all good and fun when it's speculative, but once he made official the hounds would be all over him. One doesn't become a mega millionaire without some skeletons in their closet, just ask Mitt Romney. If you think Romney's tax returns were problematic, Trump's would probably inspire a collective suicide on the scale of Jonestown.
Saturday's primary promises to be a boring affair. Though Nevada is a state known for its debauchery, its Republican base is roughly 1/3 Mormon. It's a caucus state where Mitt's organization will help him carry the day. He won 51% in 08 at a time when his campaign was flailing and McCain was on his way to solidifying the nomination. Shelly Adelson will suffer a tough defeat in his backyard. Ron Paul got 14% in 08, so with better funding and organization he may well come in second. Santorum just received the endorsement of Tea Party favorite, and losing senatorial candidate, Sharon Angle, so there is some chance that Newt may find himself in fourth. Newt has pledged to go on to the convention so an expected loss in Saturday's primary will probably do little to deter him. As his campaign spirals further and further out of control, expect him to sharpen his attacks on Romney. The 2012 Republican primary has the potential to severely weaken Romney because of the shear meanness of the candidates. At least he has Trump's endorsement, and an assured spot on the 13th season of the Celebrity Apprentice, should this whole President thing not work out for him.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Romney and the Poor.
Despite Mitt Romney's big win in Florida last night, the race still seems to be in full swing. Why do the other candidates believe in their chances in spite of Romney's massive structural advantages? Romney's words today provided some of the answer.
In an interview today he uttered perhaps the most tone deaf statement in American political history. He said, "I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it." Mitt, once again, reinforced just how out of touch he is with the average American. Mitt's often compared to a used car salesman, but today's statement makes him seem like a used car salesman with tourettes. In an instant he reinforced everything that people find distasteful about him, and uttered an unspoken truth that goes with out saying in Republican circles. Of course Republicans don't care about poor people, the vast majority of their agenda works to undermine governmental protections for the poor. Even their stated economic plan of 'trickle down economics' aims to solve the problems of poverty by empowering wealthy Americans to create jobs which will then go to poor folks, allowing the government's money to 'trickle down.' They make no bones about this fact, Democrats aim to give assistance directly to the very poor, whereas Republicans hope that money will somehow diffuse into poor people's pockets by some form of osmosis. That Romney thinks that there is a sturdy social safety net adds to the ludicrousness of the statement, doesn't he know that the vast majority of Republican plans to "balance the budget" will be on the backs of the very poor, or is he admitting that and saying that he doesn't give a damn.
The fact that today's gaffe isn't a death blow to the Romney campaign reveals a sad truth about American politics. Many are hesitant to engage in 'class warfare' because they don't want to see themselves as part of the lower class. This is aspirational, but fundamentally silly. The idea that America is still a society where upward mobility occurs with relative ease is ridiculous. Certainly, there are outliers like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates, who are able to strike it rich with a genius invention, but the reality is that if you're an undereducated person in their 30s or 40s, you aren't going to strike it rich overnight. People are scared and ashamed to admit their real economic reality, and American politics suffers because of it.
Romney's comment joins a long line of statements that set him apart from the average American. His defense of corporations as people, and his love of firing service employees, clearly illustrate that he's a plutocratic politician with little in common with average folks. Mitt is uncomfortable off the stump, whenever he's forced off message and unable to utter platitudes he turns into a stammering mess. Romney wasn't baited into today's comment, he just uttered it because that's what he believes. The implicit message is that poor people aren't Americans.
There is an overarching belief in Republican politics that Democrats and the poor have a symbiotic relationship. The poor, read African Americans, suckle off the government because they have no work ethic, and the Democrats are happy to fund welfare because it increases the size of government and keeps them in power. It's classic Republican thinking, it's paranoid schizophrenia. To think that Democrats help the poor people in some sort of cynical ploy, and not because they truly believe that poor people are deserving of help, illustrates the way Republicans think. They are greedy and so they only understand greed. Of course, Newt, Ron Paul, and Santorum don't really care about the poor, but none of them are dumb enough to say it aloud. Romney is.
In an interview today he uttered perhaps the most tone deaf statement in American political history. He said, "I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it." Mitt, once again, reinforced just how out of touch he is with the average American. Mitt's often compared to a used car salesman, but today's statement makes him seem like a used car salesman with tourettes. In an instant he reinforced everything that people find distasteful about him, and uttered an unspoken truth that goes with out saying in Republican circles. Of course Republicans don't care about poor people, the vast majority of their agenda works to undermine governmental protections for the poor. Even their stated economic plan of 'trickle down economics' aims to solve the problems of poverty by empowering wealthy Americans to create jobs which will then go to poor folks, allowing the government's money to 'trickle down.' They make no bones about this fact, Democrats aim to give assistance directly to the very poor, whereas Republicans hope that money will somehow diffuse into poor people's pockets by some form of osmosis. That Romney thinks that there is a sturdy social safety net adds to the ludicrousness of the statement, doesn't he know that the vast majority of Republican plans to "balance the budget" will be on the backs of the very poor, or is he admitting that and saying that he doesn't give a damn.
The fact that today's gaffe isn't a death blow to the Romney campaign reveals a sad truth about American politics. Many are hesitant to engage in 'class warfare' because they don't want to see themselves as part of the lower class. This is aspirational, but fundamentally silly. The idea that America is still a society where upward mobility occurs with relative ease is ridiculous. Certainly, there are outliers like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates, who are able to strike it rich with a genius invention, but the reality is that if you're an undereducated person in their 30s or 40s, you aren't going to strike it rich overnight. People are scared and ashamed to admit their real economic reality, and American politics suffers because of it.
Romney's comment joins a long line of statements that set him apart from the average American. His defense of corporations as people, and his love of firing service employees, clearly illustrate that he's a plutocratic politician with little in common with average folks. Mitt is uncomfortable off the stump, whenever he's forced off message and unable to utter platitudes he turns into a stammering mess. Romney wasn't baited into today's comment, he just uttered it because that's what he believes. The implicit message is that poor people aren't Americans.
There is an overarching belief in Republican politics that Democrats and the poor have a symbiotic relationship. The poor, read African Americans, suckle off the government because they have no work ethic, and the Democrats are happy to fund welfare because it increases the size of government and keeps them in power. It's classic Republican thinking, it's paranoid schizophrenia. To think that Democrats help the poor people in some sort of cynical ploy, and not because they truly believe that poor people are deserving of help, illustrates the way Republicans think. They are greedy and so they only understand greed. Of course, Newt, Ron Paul, and Santorum don't really care about the poor, but none of them are dumb enough to say it aloud. Romney is.
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